Chris Freytag - Move to Lose

W ithout a doubt, this book is a labor of love for me. A huge thank-you to my husband and three children who showed love and patience through the long hours and long days. Your undying support made it possible for me to research and write this book.

Thank you to Christi Cardenas, my literary agent, whose excitement and enthusiasm were a driving force for this project. Thank you to Tom Wiese, my manager, whose continual belief in me is amazing. The two of you have been instrumental in my being able to share my message with others!

I am incredibly grateful for the time, encouragement, and wisdom Ellen Shaffer bestowed on me throughout the writing of this book. Shes a gifted spirit and her influence is evident in every page.

I want to thank my clients, viewers, and family who agreed to share their stories with me and you. They are an inspiration to us all.

Dara Stewart, my editor, and her associates at Penguin Group have made this a memorable experience for me. I deeply appreciate their expertise and guidance. Thanks to Tim Pearson and Terra Hinrichs for their attention to detail and talent with the camera. Your skill helped me translate the exercises into easy-to-follow and beautiful pictures.

And a big thanks to my friends, especially Liz and Holly, who stuck by me through the process. Your unconditional support gives true meaning to the word friend. I must also express gratitude to my siblings and parents, who continue to be my biggest fans!

And last, but not least, thank you to everyone who has ever attended my classes, purchased my videos, or educated me in the field of health and fitness. You teachers, trainers, experts, and participants are instrumental in the journey to greater knowledge. You inspire me to motivate others!

S o many people need to be shocked into changing their lives for the better: a big number on the scale, a surprising test result from the doctors office, a trip to the emergency room. But those big wake-up calls are preceded by years of smaller signals that many of us fail to hear. Maybe youre out of breath after climbing the stairs. Maybe you need a dress for a special occasion and you cant find one that fits in the size youve always worn. Maybe youre startled by how old and tired you look in the family holiday photos.

You dont have to wait for the big, scary, dramatic wake-up call. You can start waking yourself up right now.

I am certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a personal trainer, lifestyle and weight-management consultant, and a group fitness instructor. In addition to my role as the fitness expert for ShopNBC, Im a YogaFit certified instructor and a STOTT Pilates trained instructor. Through my own business, Motivating Bodies, Ive been able to work with all types of people in their homes and in corporate and health-club settings. Ive spent the past fifteen years in the fitness industry and, in all that time, in my lifestyle training practice, I never met anyone who thought they had enough time to take proper care of themselves. Nobody has ever come to me because they were already eating healthy meals, getting regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep.

Like you, my clients are busywith their jobs, their spouses, their children, their parents, and their communities. Their days are filled with meetings, errands, shopping, cooking, driving, and cleaning. They have to make sure the bills are paid, the kids have a ride to soccer practice, the family pet gets to the vet, and the dishwasher gets emptied. Caring for themselves is last on their list of priorities, if its even on the list at all.

THE SECRET

My clients hire me hoping that I possess a secret, some kind of magic formula that will help them to change their lives. And I do have a secret. Its this:

The secret is, there is no secret.

We spend so much time, money, and energy chasing the latest diets, gimmicks, and pills. We want a painless solution that makes our body problems disappear without having to change our lives. The problem with that kind of wishful thinking is its the way we live our lives that causes us to neglect our bodies needs for movement, nourishment, and rest.

Realistically youre not going to eliminate the things in your life that cause you stress. You cant get rid of things like rush-hour traffic, overlapping schedules, bills to pay, kids to feed, or clothes to wash. Even though you cant eliminate stress completely, fitness fundamentals like eating well and getting regular exercise will make it much easier to manage. And you can learn coping skills, such as relaxation and meditation that will help you to put it all in perspective. Exercise can help you handle the way you perceive and handle daily stress. Then figure out how to change your perceptions and change your reactions.